West Ham eye up move for predator who plays ‘like a train’; his ‘shorts look like underwear’

West Ham are eyeing up a summer swoop for Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata after the Hammers failed to secure his services in January, having had a loan bid rejected on transfer deadline day.

According to Sky Sports, West Ham failed with a late push on deadline day to sign the Colombian on loan. It is reported that the Irons submitted a deal sheet to the Premier League, but they failed to get the deal with Atalanta over the line before the transfer window closed.

Newcastle United were also keen on signing the 30-year-old during the January window, but they were also rebuffed by the Serie A club.

As per Sky Sports, the Hammers’ interest in Zapata dates back to at least 2013, when he played for Estudiantes in Argentina.

According to a frehs report from Milan Live [via Claret & Hugh], West Ham are still interested in signing Zapata and have lined him up as their main centre-forward target, so they could return to Atalanta with a deal for the Colombia international at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old’s contract in Bergamo expires in June 2023, so the Serie A club may seek to offload him prior to then so that they can reap a decent transfer fee for him. Indeed, it is claimed that Atalanta are already lining up a move for Torino’s Andrea Belotti in preparation for Zapata’s departure.

It is undeniable that the Colombian’s scoring figures are fantastic. This season, he has banked an impressive nine goals in 17 league games and has netted three times in the Champions League.

These scoring returns are supplemented by his underlying statistics. When compared with positional peers over the past year, Zapata has ranked in the 99th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area and progressive passes received, and in the